Who Should Direct Mass Effect?

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Commander Shephard hopes these filmmakers enlist.

By Phil Pirrello & Jesse Schedeen

Fact: James Cameron's Mass Effect would be the best thing to happen in the history of ever. Second fact: It's not gonna happen, sadly. With the exception of Aliens and True Lies, Avatar boy usually makes films he's built from the ground up. And Joss Whedon, while also an excellent candidate, is too busy doing this thing called Avengers.

But we think these six directors are the next best thing for what could be the best videogame movie ever. The dense, action-packed Mass Effect universe is perfect for taking to the big screen, and the people behind The Dark Knight and 300 are going to take it there. We hope they listen to our wish-list of directors - if they know what's good for 'em. And Mass Effect fans? Yeah, send us your suggestions in the comments.

J.J. Abrams is the new darling child of the science-fiction scene. He helped spearhead Lost, one of the most popular and mind-bending TV shows in recent memory. He successfully resuscitated the ailing Star Trek franchise and made being a Trekkie cool again.

Cloverfield was a fun mash-up of Godzilla and The Blair Witch Project, and its pseudo follow-up Super 8 looks to be equally entertaining.

Star Trek was basically an audition for Mass Effect.

All of these projects prove Abrams has what it takes to tackle creative sci-fi concepts and draw in audiences by the millions. Mass Effect offers Abrams a chance to work on a scale that dwarfs even Star Trek. And no matter how big the budget, we know we can count on the director never to lose sight of the fun of the story.

When it comes to thinking man's sci-fi, you can't do better than Alfonso Cuar&#Array;n. This director gave us Children of Men, a thoughtful tale set in a dark future where no new babies have been born for many years. Cuar&#Array;n's movies often have an independent flair, but the director isn't above dabbling in popular franchises. Most agree his Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the best of the six Potter movies.

Azkaban is proof that the guy has a strong sense of visual style, in addition to being a master storyteller. And you can consider his recent sci-fi project, Gravity, his bid for going bigger and better with the Mass Effect Universe. Cuar&#Array;n's emphasis on character and visual design are unique amongst the blockbuster scene. It will be through visual design and the strength of the characters that Mass Effect shrugs off the inevitable Star Wars comparisons and attracts audiences interested in something new.

Neill Blomkamp is a relative newcomer to the sci-fi scene, but he certainly left his mark last year with District 9. A far cry from an alien invasion movie like Independence Day, District 9 was a tale about men and aliens struggling to co-exist in South Africa.

The movie functioned as a metaphor for racism and apartheid, only with the alien Prawns bearing the brunt of South Africa's ill will. District 9 also included plenty of memorable action scenes, not least of which being an epic battle with an alien mech suit.

Action and drama? Check. New take on aliens? Check.

Fans will know Blomkamp also directed a live-action Halo short film to coincide with the release of Halo 3. The director was attached in the past to the actual Halo movie, but that project can't seem to find steady legs. Rather than wait for Halo to get off the ground once more, Blomkamp's talents might be better served bringing another popular Xbox franchise to life on screen.

Scott's returning to his roots by (thankfully) helming the Alien prequel. Which is refreshing, because we've grown tired of the "been there, done that" feel of his earth-bound historical epics. Robin Hood had a lot going on, but unfortunately none of it was tethered to a cohesive narrative or a hero worth feeling for as he went through the motions. And Kingdom of Heaven, while a brave and engaging epic, requires the director's cut to fully appreciate what the less-than-successful theatrical cut set out to do.

Imagine what Scott could do with the budget of his sword and arrow epics when applied to a space-based story interweaving multiple characters across infinite galactic warfare. Awesome sauce is what that would be.

Scott's Mass Effect would make Alien look like Interiors.

Scott is not getting any younger, but the director shows no signs of slowing down. He's basically daring Hollywood to outlive his output, which consists of a very crowded production slate. The right script, and the perfect Commander Shephard, could be what takes Mass Effect the movie to the top of his to-do list, and to the top of Hollywood's most anticipated releases.

Like Neill Blomkamp, Duncan Jones is an up-and-coming director who managed to rock the sci-fi world in 2009 with Moon, a film with few actors or sets but with plenty of storytelling goodness.

If Jones can deliver such a worthy project with so little, we can only imagine what he could accomplish with the budget and star power Mass Effect would bring with it. Moon is very much a story of human conflict first and science-fiction second. Mass Effect hinges on the attachment gamers develop for Commander Shephard and his crew. Jones seems like just the sort of director to capture those strong character dynamics.

We have our five selections for potential Mass Effect directors, but there are still more in Hollywood who have the potential to do the franchise justice in Hollywood. Alex Proyas would be another interesting choice for director. Proyas is well-known for his dark superhero film The Crow and his trippy sci-fi noir Dark City. The latter in particular has us interested in what Proyas could bring to the table.

The only thing that worries us about Proyas is that his recent sci-fi work has been less than inspired. I, Robot was a fairly entertaining summer blockbuster, but a far cry from the classic Isaac Asimov story. 2009's The Knowing was generally panned by critics and ignored by audiences. Were Proyas to take on Mass Effect, we'd want to see more of the qualities that made the director stand out in the '90s.

Put down that controller and get some fresh air, you Mass Effect addicts. Then -- sound off in the comments about our picks, and fire off a few of your own. Cool? Cool.